1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a cap with a dispenser particularly suited to be used on bottles or flagons containing liquids, for instance, cosmetics, liquid soaps, shampoos, sun lotions and the like.
The indication of its use is given as an example only but is not meant to limit the field of application of the cap according to the invention.
2. Description of Related Arts
Caps for containers of liquid cosmetics, such as shampoos or lotions are available on the market. Their mode of operation consists essentially in the fact that the cap comprises a dispenser for liquids which can be operated by the user. One of the known caps, for instance, has at the upper end of the cap itself a plastic hollow insert, which is hinged around a horizontal axis and can rotate from a horizontal to a vertical position, so that, when the insert is in its horizontal position, the liquid is prevented from pouring out of the bottle, while, when the insert is set in its vertical position, the opening which is present at the bottom of the cap and in contact with the neck of the bottle is aligned with the channel of the vertical insert, thereby allowing the liquid to flow out of the bottle. Since the bottom of this insert has a cylindrical shape and the bottom rotates on a surface which is also cylindrical, wherein there is the opening for the outflow of the liquid, this type of cap does not present any special problem connected with the leakage of the liquid, when the cap is in its closed position. However limitations of the just described cap consist in that the opening and closing operations must be performed by the operator with both hands, i.e. with one holding the bottle and with the other operating the rotation of the insert.
Another type of cap which is used in the same field of cosmetic products presents an essentially cylindrical body with a vertical opening and an upper element having essentially the shape of a disc presenting underneath a little hollow tube for the outflow of the liquid. The upper element engages the cylindrical body, is hinged to it and can rotate by a certain angle when it is pressed with the finger tips. When the upper element is in its horizontal position, it shuts the hollow tube belonging to the central body, through which the liquid would flow out; on the other hand, when the upper element is pushed with a finger and arranges itself at an inclined position, the tube belonging to the central body and the channel which is present on the rotating element are aligned. While this cap presents the advantage that it can be opened and closed with a single hand holding the flagon or the bottle, it has the limitation of not being suited for dispensing very fluid liquids, since its seal is rather precarious, so that the liquid may pour out even when the cap is in its closed position or the liquid besides pouring out of the channel also leaks through the space between the rim of the cap body and the rotating element.
The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the mentioned inconveniences.
The main proposed purpose is to realize a cap with a dispenser for liquids which is perfectly sealed, regardless of the density of the liquid to be dispensed and which can be operated with the same hand holding the bottle.
Another proposed purpose is to obtain a cap with a dispenser being shaped so as to compensate for possible variations of the thickness of the bottle neck, so that a perfect seal is obtained between the cap and the rim of the bottle neck.
All above-mentioned purposes and others, which will be better understood hereafter are fulfilled by a cap for liquids, made of plastic material, comprising a main, essentially cylindrical body which tightens on a bottle or flagon and presents an upper surface, which is concave toward the exterior, with an opening communicating with a channel belonging to the liquid-dispensing element, which is connected with said body, so that it can rotate around an axis being perpendicular to the geometrical axis of said body and wherein said cap is characterized in that said element presents an essentially cylindrical, upper, outer, flat part, which is hinged onto the upper rim of the main body and a lower part having the shape of a socle and acting as a base and having its lower surface in a partially cylindrical shape and sliding on the correspondingly shaped concave surface belonging to the main body, wherein said base part presents an opening belonging to a channel whose first section, beginning from said opening, is essentially vertical and whose second section is essentially perpendicular in relation to the first and is obtained underneath the flat surface of the dispensing element, and it ends with an opening on the lateral rim of said element. One of the advantages given by such a shape of the cap is that the hermetic tightness of the connection is always insured both when the dispensing element is in its open, liquid dispensing position and when it is in its closed position.
In the first case the tightness occurs between the opening belonging to the main element, which is present on the concave surface of the main cylindrical body and the opening belonging to the dispensing channel which is connected with the opening.
When the dispensing element is in its closed position, the base belonging to the dispensing element presents, as will be described hereafter, an indentation which lies over the ring-shaped projection which is present around the opening of the concave surface of the main cylindrical body, so that the hermetic tightness is insured in this case, too.
Another advantage obtained with the cap according to the present invention is represented by the fact that the opening and closing operations can be performed with a single finger belonging to the hand holding the container on which the cap is applied, without any need to use the other hand.
This fact is not unimportant since it makes it easier to use the liquid held in the container in the most varied situations, without causing any discomfort to the user.
Another advantage which will be pointed out arises from the fact that the essentially round shape in the convex area of the main cylindrical body which rests on the rim of the container neck allows it to rest on the whole rim of the container, regardless of the variations in the thickness of the container, which are possible particularly in containers made of glass. This permits a wider flexibility of application and a decreased need of observing dimensional tolerances in the manufacture of the container.